Cylindrical muffler with spaced openings in both end plates



United States Patent David W. Young l-lomewood, Ill.

[21] Appl. No. 885,819

[221 Filed Dec. 17, 1969 [45] Patented Dec. 29, 1970 [73] Assignee Atlantic Richfield Company [72] Inventor [54] CYLINDRICAL MUFFLER WITH SPACED OPENINGS IN BOTH END PLATES 12 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] 11.8. CI. 181/60, 181/72 [51] Int. Cl F01n l/08, FOln 7/08 [50] FieldofSearch 181/46, 56, 60, 72, 49, 41

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 659,834 10/1900 Thamsen 181/60X 1,838,834 12/1931 l-lolzer l81/72UX 2,004,865 6/1935 Grison l81/72UX FOREIGN PATENTS 9,297 1907 Great Britain 181/72 OTHER REFERENCES Bernard; Eugene L. John Primary Examiner-Robert S. Ward, Jr.

Atmrneys- Eugene L. Bernard. John Boustead, Martin J.

Brown. Henry W. Foulds..lr., Roger T. Mc Lean. W, Brown Morton,.lr., lohn T. RobertsJohn W. Routh. N, Dale Sayre, Malcolm L. SutherlandJ. Donald Tierney, Curt Von Boetticher, Jr. and Mc Lean, Morton and Boustead ABSTRACT: A muffler for an internal combustion engine such as might power an oil well pump. The muffler comprises an elongated, hollow cylindrical body with end plates for each end. The first end plate is connected to the engine exhaust pipe at approximately its center and includes a plurality of small openings equally spaced radially from that center and equally spaced angularly. The second end plate includes a second plurality of small openings equally spaced radially from its center and equally spaced angularly. Preferably the exhaust pipe, coupling the engine to the muffler, includes a 90 bend.

PATENTEDUEEZSIQZB 3550.722

INVENTOR DAVID W. YOUNG 2 7 M W r ATTORNEYS CYLINDRICAL MUFFLER WITH SPACEI) OPENINGS IN BOTH END PLATES The present invention pertains to an engine muffler system. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a muffler for use on an internal combustion engine such as might be used to power a pump for an oil well.

Many oil wells are located in areas in'which it is not desirable to have excess noise. Thus, for example, oil wells are often located within cities or towns, in some instances within residential areas. Frequently, oil wells are found in such locations as golf courses, church yards and cemeteries. In locations such as these it is not desirable to have excessive noise such as is generated by an internal combustion engine driven oil well pump. Consequently, many localities require that such pumps be powered by low noise power sources such as electric motors. The cost of electricity to power such motors, however, is considerably greater than the cost of fuel for an internal combustion engine to run an oil well pump, particularly if the fuel for the engine is derived from the well, as can be done if, for example, natural gas is derived from the well. With oil wells having a low production capacity it can become economically unprofitable to pump oil from the well with a pump powered by an electric motor. Operation of such lowcapacity wells can become economically profitable if a lower cost power source can be utilized for the pumping of such well, for example, an internal combustion engine fueled by the output of the well. This, however, necessitates the muffling of the noise from the internal combustion engine.

The present invention is a muffler for an internal combustion engine such as used to power oil well pumps. In accordance with the present invention, the internal combustion engine exhaust pipe is connected to a closed, hollow, generally cylindrical housing having apertures in its end plates permitting the exhaust gas to pass therethrough while muffling the engine noise. In particular, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, satisfactory operation has been obtained by utilizing an engine exhaust pipe with a length in the order of 4% feet and including a 90 bend and passing into a 55 gallon metallic drum through approximately the center of one enclosed end of the drum. That enclosed end additionally has 2% inch holes therethrough approximately 180 apart, while the opposite end of the drum has 4% inch holes therethrough approximately 90 apart. The drum is in the order of 35 inches in height and in the order of 22% inches in diameter with the one-half inch holes approximately inches from the center of the respective ends. It was found that the internal combustion engine could not 'be heard from a distance of more than about 21 feet, and the muffler did not detrimentally affect operation of the internal combustion engine or the pump.

These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention are more apparent in the following detailed description and claims, particularly when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts bear like reference numerals. In the drawings:

H6. 1 is a perspective view of a muffler in accordance with the present invention connected to an internal combustion engine such as might be utilized to power the pump for an oil well;

FIG. 2 is an end view of a first end of the muffler and is taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a view of the opposite end of the muffler.

As depicted in FIG. 1, an internal combustion engine powered oil well pump, depicted generally at 10, has an exhaust pipe 12 for the gasoline engine. Pipe 12 preferably has a length in the order of 4% feet and includes a 90 bend at a point 14 intennediate its ends. Mufiler 16 has a generally cylindrical hollow body with closed ends and, for example, might be an empty metal drum having a volume in the order of 55 gallons. The body cylinder of muffler 16 preferably has no openings therethrough, but instead is imperforate. First end plate 18 of muffler 16 receives exhaust pipe 12 at approximately the center thereof. End plate 18 includes a plurality of openings, and as de icted in FIGS. 1 and 2, might have two openings 20 each 0 a diameter in the order of one-half inch and spaced substantially 180 apart at substantially equal radial distances in the order of 10 inches from central opening 22 at which exhaust pipe 12 connects. While FIGS. 1 and 2 depict openings 20 spaced 180 apart on a vertical 7 line, they, of course, might be on a horizontal line or on a line of any angle to the vertical.

The end of muffler 16 opposite end plate 18 is closed by end plate 24 which likewise has a plurality of openings passing through it. As depicted in FIG. 3, end plate 24 can have four openings 26, each in the order of one-half inch in diameter substantially apart and substantially equally spaced at a distance in the order of 10 inches from the center of end plate 24. Openings 20 and 26 are thus substantially equally spaced radially and angularly about their respective end plates 18 and 24.

As internal combustion engine powered pump 10 is operated to pump oil from its well, exhaust from the engine passes through pipe 12 to muffler 16. The exhaust then leaves muffler 16 through openings 20 and 26. Muffler 16, however, substantially reduces the noise which can be heard in the vicinity of internal combustion engine driven pump 10.

While the above description has been with reference to a preferred embodiment, .numerous modifications and rearrangements could be made, and still the result would be within the scope of the invention.

Iclaim:

l. A muffler for an internal combustion engine comprising an elongated, hollow cylindrical body having a first end and a second end, a first end plate covering said first end and including an attachment opening therethrough at a substantially the center thereof adapted for attachment to an internal combustion engine exhaust pipe, and further including a first plu rality of exhaust openings therethrough substantially equally spaced radially and angularly about said first end plate and a second end plate covering said second end and including a second plurality of exhaust openings therethrough substantially equally spaced radially and angularly about said second end plate.

2. a A muffler as claimed in claim 1 in which said elongated, hollow cylindrical body has a volume in the order of 55 gallons.

3. A muffler as claimed in claim 1 in which said elongated, hollow cylindrical body has a height in the order of 35 inches and a diameter in the order of 22/2/2 inches.

4. A muffler as claimed in claim 1 in which said body cylinder is imperforate.

5. A muffler as claimed in claim 1 in which said first end plate includes two exhaust openings spaced substantially apart radially on said first end plate and in which said second end plate includes four exhaust openings spaced substantially 90 apart radially on said second end plate.

6. A muffler as claimed in claim 5 in which each exhaust opening is of a diameter in the order of one-half inch.

7. A muffler as claimed in claim 6 in which each exhaust opening is radially spaced a distance in the order of 10 inches from the center of the respective end plate.

8. A muffler as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an exhaust pipe having a first end attached to said attachment opening, having a second end and having a length in the order of 4 /2 feet with a bend of substantially 90 intermediate said first end and said second end.

9. A muffler as claimed in claim 8 further comprising an internal combustion engine having an exhaust outlet attached to said exhaust pipe second end.

10. A muffler as claimed in claim 9 further comprising a pump attached to said engine to be driven thereby.

11. A muffler as claimed in claim 10 in which said pump is connected to a well to pump fluid therefrom.

12. A muffler as claimed in claim 10 in which said pump is connected to an oil well to pump oil therefrom. 

